Automatic box filler



July 28, 1959 Filed March 20, 1958 E. w. CARLSEN ET AL 2,896,384

AUTOMATIC BOX FILLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR EARL w. CARLSEN ALVANBAUM ATTORNEY E. W. CARLSEN ET AL July 28, 1959 AUTOMATIC BOX FILLERFiled March 20, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR EARL W.CARLSEN ALVAN BAUMATTORNEY Q E. w. CARLSEN ET AL 2,896,384

AUTOMATIC BOX FILLER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 28, 1959 Filed March 20, 19582 W ATTORNEY July 28, 1959 E. w. CARLSEN ET AL 2,896,384

AUTOMATIC BOX FILLER Filed March 20, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 6.

INVENTOR EARL w. CARLSEN ALVAN BAUM ATTORNEY it d States PatfifltAUTOMATIC BOX FILLER Earl W. Carlsen, Yakima, and Alvan Baum, Wapato,Wash.

Application March 20, 1958, Serial No. 722,823

4 Claims. (Cl. 53-59) A non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free licensein the invention herein described, throughout the world for all purposesof the United States Government, with the power to grant sublicenses forsuch purposes, is hereby granted to the Government of the United Statesof America.

. The patent rights for the United States in any invention in the patentto be granted on this application are dedicated to the public.

This invention relates to a box filling machine. particularly, itrelates to a machine which will automatically fill an empty box withloose fruit, such as, apples, or other objects, to a predeterminedWeight, and then eject the full box.

One object of the invention is to provide a machine which will operateautomatically in successive filling and ejecting cycles.

Another object is to provide such a machine in which the objects beingpacked, if fruit, are deposited in the box in such a manner as toeliminate bruising.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is madeto the following description and to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows the machine with a box in the filling position at thestart of the filling phase of the cycle;

Figure 2 shows the box in the filling position nearly full and about tobe ejected;

Figure 3 shows the machine in that phase of the cycle in which the boxis being ejected;

Figure 4 shows the machine in the phase after a' full box has beenejected and an empty box is being dropped into the filling position;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the complete machine; and

Figure 6 shows the details of construction of the cradle and tilt tableon which the box rests while it is being filled.

More

ing between their rear ends. The ends: of the tilt table closest to thecradle are connected by a cross-bar 16 which carries latch 17. Acrossthe back of the cradle there is a bar 18 to which is secured a normallyextend ing bar 19. Tension springs 20 and 21, secured to the tilt tableand the roller arms between pivots 13, and 14,

respectively, keep the tilt table raised above the roller arms, thusalso keeping the latch engaged by extension 19. In this position, thetilt table forms substantially a' right angle with the cradle and thusretains the box 22on the cradle during the filling operation, ascan beseen from Figures 1 and 2. Itwill be obvious that the arms 9 and 10 ofthe tilt table should be close enough together to retain at least thesmallest box which it is intended to use in conjunctionwith the machine.

The cradle itself is provided with a pair of upwardly extending lever 23and 24 which are connected by means of cables 25 and 26, respectively,to a weight 27 suspended in the framework at the front of the machine.Pulleys 28 and 29 permit easy movement of the cables. Adjustable springs30 and 31 are secured to the frame of the machine and to the weight.

Crossbar 16 on the cradle carries anadjustable cradle.

stop 32. and a pin 33. The cradle stop is provided with a compressionspring 34 whose function will be explained in the description below ofthe operation of the machine.

In order to feed the material, to be packed, as for ex ample, apples, tothe box, a vertically rotatable chute 35 is pivoted tothe front of theframe so as to rotate about horizontal rod 36. Chute 35 overhangs thecradle. in such a position that, apples entering it will pass throughopening 37 and be deposited into box 22 being supported on the cradle.The interior of the chute is preferably lined with a soft material .38,such as, for example, foam rubber, to prevent bruising of the fruitwhich is fed to the chute by means of endless conveyor 39. Fabric apron88 provides further protection for the rolling fruit. A stationarysloping platform 40 bridges the space between the chute and the endlessconveyor. The chute itself is provided with a rearward extension 41which engages the underside of platform 40 and is thus maintained in aforwardly sloping position which is in normal filling relationship withthe cradle and the box supported thereon.

Opposite the chute, a sloping roller conveyor 42 is mounted on theframework and carries a plurality of Figures 1-4 are vertical sectionalelevations through is of rectangular shape and is constructed out of anysuitable material, such as, angle iron bars. A flat plate '5 over thecradle provides a surface for supporting a box during the fillingoperation. A pair of roller arms 6 and 7 are rigidly secured to thesides of the cradle and extend upward at somewhat more than right anglesto the cradle. Each roller arm is provided with a num ber of rollers 8.A tilt table comprising a pair of arms 9 and 10, is pivoted to brackets11 and12 on the roller arms by means of pivots 13 and 14, respectively.Roller empty boxes, such as 43, 44, and 45. The conveyor serves as astorage means for these boxes. An inverted U-shaped rod 46, guided byholes 47 and 48 in the framework and by perforated brackets 49 and 50,and supported at its lower ends by solid brackets 51 and 52, carriesapair of lateral rigidly secured fingers 53 and 54. These fingers arebent downward at their ends and, in the normalposition of rod 46, areadapted to engage the first box 43 on storage conveyor 42, thuspreventing the box from being deposited onto the cradle until needed.

The control elements of the machine comprise a cable 55 connected to asource of electrical energy (not shown) and to relay switch 56 mountedon the front of the machine. Asolenoid 57 is connected to the source ofenergy through the relay switch, which itself is connected to twomicroswitches 58 and 59. Armature 60 of the solenoid is mechanicallyconnected by means of levers 61 and 62 through pin 63 to a verticallymovable push rod 64 which is guided on the framework of the machine byguides 65 and 66. The push rod 64 is constructed of two parallel barsjoined at the top, and is provided at the upper endwitha roller 67. Thelower ends of the two bars are joined by a pin 68. when Patented July28, 1959 3 push rod 64 is in its lowermost position pin 63 rests onguide 64, and the vertical distance through which the rod can move isdetermined by selecting a pair of suitable holes 69-through which toinsert pin 63. It ,be apparent that. this'selectivity or adjustabilityof the effective length or travel distance of push rod 64 will determinethe angle of inclination of chute 35. In this manner the chute may beadjustably lowered into container, 2. to varying degrees to minimize theheight of drop to prevent bruising of the fruit during the fillingoperation. a

The various phases of the operating cycle of the machine, areillustrated by Figures 1-4. j

Figure 1 shows the machine at the beginning of the filling phase of thecycle. An empty box '22 rests on its sideon cradle 2 and is supported onits bottom by tilttable 10 which is held above roller arms 6 and 7andwrollers 8 by means of latch 7. Cradle 2 is held in its uppermostposition by the combined eifects of counterweight 27 and springs 30 and31. As fruit is delivered into the box from belt 39 through chute 35,

the weight of the fruit causes cradle 2 to rotate downward about pivotbearings: 3 and 4. The rate at which the cradle rotates downward may bepredetermined by adjusting the tension in springs 30 and 31 by means ofnuts 70 and 71, respectively. In this way it is possible to control thelowering rate so that the level of the fruit in the'box is maintained insubstantially the same position with respect to the chute.

.FigureZ shows the box nearly full, with the weight of the fruit havingcaused the cradle to rotate almost to the limit of its travel. At thisstage, spring 34 at the end of cradle stop 32 is incontact with stopplate 72 mounted on: the framework of the machine. Adjustment of thelength of the cradle stops by means of nut 73 will deter-' mine-theweight of fruit in the box necessary to compress spring 32 sufiicientlyto bring pin 33 into contact with and to. actuate microswitch 58.Actuating microswitch SS'causes relay switch 56 to close and to energizesolenoid 57. When this occurs armature 60 of the solenoid is drawndownward, causing levers 61 and 62 to move push-rod 64 upwards. Roller67 at the top end of the push rod bears on plate 74 on the underside ofchute 35, raising the latter and stopping the flow of fruit to the box..At the same time pin 68 at the lower end of the push rod engagesextension 75 on latch 17 and releases the latter. The weight of the fullbox 22 causes tilt table 10 to pivot downward about pivots l3 and 14 andto roll down roller arms 6 and 7 onto roller conveyor 76, as ShOWl1lIlfFlglll'6 3,'and' be removed from the scene of operations. I Removingthe full box 22 allows tilt table 10 to be returned by spring 20 to itsoriginal latched position. At the same time, the combination of weight27 and springs 30 and. 31 causes the cradle to swing upwards. As thisoccurs, a pair of hinged lugs 77 and 78 engage box release pawls 79 and80, respectively, causing the latter to rotate about their pivots 81 and82 which are mounted in the framework of the machine. See Figure' 4. Thehinged lugs rest on cross-bar 15 and are pivoted on pins 89 and 90 sothat they can rotate upwards only. This permits them to pass pawls 79and 80 onthe downward swing of the cradle during the filling phase.Pawls 79 and 80 are connected to the arms of U-shaped rod 46 throughlevers 83 and 84 in such a man ner that their rotation momentarilyraises the U-shaped rod and attached fingers 53 and 54. This permitsempty box 43 to drop onto the cradle. As the hinged lugs pass the pawls,rod 46 drops back and the fingers engage and hold the next empty box 44.At the same time, pawls 79 and 80 dropback to their positions shown inFigures 1, 2, 3, and to be'engaged by the hinged lugs in the next upwardcycle. 7

During the portions of the cycle in which a full box is released and anempty one is being deposited onto the cradle, the solenoid remainsenergized maintains chute 35 in a raised position and thus out offilling relationship to the cradle.

When empty box 43 is-deposited onto the cradle, it depresses the upperportion 83 of lever 84 which protrudes through opening 85 in plate 5.Lever 84 rotates about pivot 86 beneath plate 5; and upper position 83is normally maintained in a protruding position by means of spring 87.When the weight of the empty box depresses lever 84, the latter comes incontact with microswitch 59 which is so connected torelay switch 56 asto break the circuit to the solenoid. Armature 60 is thus released,permitting push rod 64 todrop back andat the same time permitting chute35 to return to its lower position wherein fruit will again flow intothe empty box.

The filling cycle is thus completed and is ready to start anew.

l. A machine for filling containers which comprises averticallyrotatable support for holding a container to be filled;filling means in adjustable proximity to said rotatable support adaptedto transfer material into a container held on said rotatable support;storage means also in proximity to said rotatable support adapted tohold a plurality of empty containers; means for removing a fullcontainer from said rotatable support; counterbalancing means connectedto said rotatable support adapted to maintain the rotatable support infilling relationship to said filling means, said counterbalancing meansbeing further adapted to permit the rotatable support to descend at sucha rate while the container is being filled that descent is completedwhen the container is full and to cause therotatable support to returnto its uppermost.

position after a full container has been removed; interlocking meansactuated by the rotatable support for simultaneously releasing a fullcontainer from said rotatable support and for closing off saidfillingmeans; first tionship to the cradle and to the box being held on said.

cradle until the box is full; releasable means on the cradle formaintaining the box on said cradle until said box is full; means belowthe cradle for removing a full box. released from said" cradle;counterbalancing means connected to the cradle adapted to maintain saidcradle in an uppermost position when the box is empty, saidcounterbalancing means being further adapted to permit the cradle todescend to a lowermost position at such a rate while the box is beingfilled that descent is completed when the box is full and .to returnthecr'adle to the uppermost position when the full box has been removed;interlocking means cooperative with the cradle adapted to simultaneouslyrelease the full box from the cradle when said cradle has reached thelowermost position and to remove the chute from filling relationship tothe cradle; storage means above the cradle for storing a pluralityofempty boxes; retaining means associated with the storage means formaintaining said boxes on said storage means; a first release means onthe cradle cooperative with the retaining means adapted to deposit asingle empty box onto the cradle as said cradle is .returned to itsuppermost position; and a second release means on said cradlecooperativewith the interlocking means adapted to return the chute to afilling relationship when an empty box'is deposited on the cradle."3.'An automatic boxfilling machinecornpn'sing a and push rod 64framework; a vertically rotatable cradle for holding a box to be filledhinged to the framework; a vertically rotatable chute above the cradlefor depositing objects into the box, said chute being maintained in afilling relationship to the cradle and to the box being held thereonuntil said box is full; a tilt table for retaining the box on the cradlepivoted near the end of the cradle opposite the hinges and maintainedsubstantially at right angles to said cradle by a latch; conveying meansbelow the cradle for removing a full box; counterbalancing meansconnected to the cradle adapted to maintain said cradle in an uppermostposition when the box is empty, said counterbalancing means beingfurther adapted to permit the cradle to descend to a lowermost positionat such a rate while the box is being filled that descent is completedwhen the box is full and to return the cradle to the uppermost positionwhen the full box has been removed; a vertically movable push rod guidedon the framework normally maintained in a lowermost position while thebox is being filled; raising means for operating said push rod; meansattached to the cradle at the end opposite the hinge adapted to actuatethe push rod raising means when the cradle reaches its lowermostposition whereby the push rod raises the chute to prevent furtherpassage of objects therethrough; means on the push rod for releasing thelatch on the tilt table as the push rod is raised thereby permitting thetilt table to tilt and deposit the full box on the conveyor; resilientmeans on the tilt table for returning it to a holding position after thefull box is removed; storage means secured to the framework above thecradle for storing a plurality of empty boxes; releasable retainingmeans for retaining the empty boxes on the storage means; a lug on thecradle adapted to engage said releasable retaining means as the emptycradle rotates upward for a sufficient time to release only one emptybox onto the cradle; and means on the cradle cooperative with means onthe frame for releasing the push rod to permit it to drop when an emptybox is deposited onto said cradle, thereby permitting the chute toreturn to a filling relationship with said box.

4. In combination with a machine of the character described comprising aframework, a vertically rotatable cradle hinged to the framework forsupporting a box to be filled, a vertically rotatable chute in fillingrelationship With the cradle for depositing objects into the box,counterbalancing means to permit descent of the cradle at apredetermined rate as the box is being filled and to raise the cradlewhen the full box is removed, and means for depositing an empty box onthe cradle as it is being raised, a source of electrical energy, asolenoid connected to said source of electrical energy, a relay switchconnected between the solenoid and the source of electrical energy, avertically movable push rod connected to the armature of the solenoid,means attached to the cradle for actuating a first switch connected tosaid relay switch when said cradle reaches its lowermost position with afull box thereby energizing the solenoid and causing the push rod tomove upward and raise the chute out of filling relationship with thecradle, 21 second switch also connected to said relay switch, and aretractable rotatable lever on the cradle operated by an empty box onthe cradle for actuating said second switch to deenergize the solenoidto permit the push rod to drop and permit the chute to return to fillingrelationship with the cradle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

